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MMIV  BALTIM 
L  L.D.I  I 


THE 


Fiftieth  Anniversary 


GRADUATION  IN  MEDICINE 


SAMUEL  CLAGETT  BUSEY,  M.D.,  LLD. 


COMPILED   AND    EDITED    BY 


GEORGE   M.  KOBER,  M.D. 


WASHINGTON,  D.  C,  1899 


DORNAN,  PRINTER, 
PH It ADELPHI A. 


Introduction 

"GOLDEN  WEDDING  DAY"  in  the  practice 
of  medicine  is  an  event  so  rare  and  full  of 
significance  that  it  deserves  commemoration, 
and  in  this  spirit  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  Dr.  Samuel 
C  Busey's  entrance  into  the  profession  was  celebrated. 

The  full  meaning  of  a  half-century  of  active  profes- 
sional work  can  only  be  appreciated  by  those  who  have 
travelled  over  the  rough  and  rugged  path  of  duty  ;  who 
have  watched  with  anxious  care  over  the  sick  and  wit- 
nessed the  soul-stirring  scenes  of  the  death-chamber  ; 
who  have  faced  the  fury  of  a  midnight  storm  to  bring 
relief  to  their  patients ;  who  have  gone  to  the  haunts 
of  poverty,  speaking  words  of  comfort  and  alleviating 
human  suffering ;  who  have  braved  the  dangers  of  the 
battle-field  and  the  more  terrible  but  invisible  foes  of 
infectious  diseases. 

What  a  life  of  incessant  physical  and  mental  toil  ! 
What  a  life  of  self-denial  and  devotion  ! 

In  this  glorious  service,  which  claims  the  heart,  mind, 
and   hand    alike,  and  where,  alas,  ingratitude    is    often 


the  only  recompense  for  duties  well  performed,  the 
physician,  in  the  midst  of  bitter  disappointments,  has 
but  two  beacon  lights  to  guide  him — his  conscience 
and  the  example  of  the  Great  Physician. 

Hence,  what  a  gratification  to  receive  upon  the  evening 
of  life  evidence  of  good-will  and  approval  from  profes- 
sional brethren — a  reward  far  more  cheering  and  endur- 
ing than  the  plaudits  of  the  multitude. 

Dr.  Busey,  "a  type  of  America's  self-made  men,"  has 
always  been  the  friend  of  the  struggling  practitioner, 
and  the  following  pages  are  respectfully  dedicated  to  his 
colleagues,  by  his  friend  and  pupil,  as  an  encouragement 
in  the  hours  of  trial  and  despair,  that  they,  too,  may 
hope  to  profit  by  the  ancient  proverb — 

Non  est  vivere,  sed  valere  vita, 

George  M.  Kober,   M.D. 


Congratulatory  Resolutions 


T    a    meeting   of    the    Medical    Society   of  the 
District   of    Columbia,  held    March    30,    1898, 
Dr.  Thomas    C.  Smith,  addressing   the  Vice- 
President,  Dr.  Kober,  said  in  part : 

"  Many  of  us  are  aware  that  our  President,  Dr.  Busey, 
will  soon  complete  fifty  years  of  active  professional  life, 
and  it  will  be  a  fitting  compliment  for  this  body  to 
acknowledge  the  event  in  a  formal  manner.  I,  therefore, 
move  that  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  to  draft 
suitable  resolutions  expressive  of  the  esteem,  etc.,  in 
which  he  is  held." 

Carried. 

The  Vice-President  appointed  Drs.  Thomas  C.  Smith, 
J.  Ford  Thompson,  and  Joseph  Taber  Johnson  as  the 
committee. 

The  resolutions  were  submitted  to  the  Society  and 
unanimously  adopted,  at  its  meeting  held  April  6th,  and 
were  transmitted  to  Dr.  Busey  on  April  8,  1898,  the  day 
of  his  fiftieth  anniversary  in  medicine. 


SMEDICAL  SOCIETY  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA, 
Washington,  1>.  C,  April  8,  1898. 


Dr.  Samuel  C.  Busey, 

Washington,  D.  C. 

Dear  Doctor  :  I  have  the  honor  and  pleasure  of 
transmitting  to  you  the  following  resolutions,  adopted  by 
the  Medical  Society  on  the  6th  inst. : 


Whereas,  Samuel  C.  Busey,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  President 
of  this  Society,  will  in  a  few  days  have  passed  through 
fifty  years  in  the  practice  of  medicine  in  this  community, 
during  which  time  he  has  faithfully  served  the  Society  as 
President,  Censor,  member  of  important  committees,  and 
in  many  other  ways,  and  is  now  the  only  practitioner 
among  us  who  has  been  in  practice  so  long  a  period. 
He  has  always  been  prompt  in  maintaining  the  honor, 
dignity,  rights,  and  interests  of  the  medical  profession 
before  Congress  and  the  community.  His  services  in 
securing  needed  legislation  for  the  protection  of  the 
public  from  ignorant  and  unlicensed  practitioners ;  for 
the  protection  of  physicians  before  the  courts  of  law ; 


for  the  prevention  of  the  spread  of  contagious  diseases ; 
and  in  advocating  other  measures  which  he  has  furthered 
by  his  industry  and  influence,  will  ever  be  remembered. 
His  straightforward  and  honorable  bearing  have  won  for 
him  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  brethren  in  the  pro- 
fession, and  his  example  has  inspired  others  to  emulate 
his  fidelity.     Therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  That  this  Society  takes  pleasure  in  calling 
the  attention  of  its  members  to  such  a  notable  example 
of  a  career  passed  in  the  honorable  and  conscientious 
performance  of  its  duties  of  life. 

Resolved,  That  the  Society  trusts  that  many  years  of 
health  and  happiness  may  be  in  reserve  for  our  esteemed 
President,  to  whom  our  best  wishes  are  cordially  ex- 
tended. 

Very  respectfully, 

Thomas  C.  Smith,  M.D., 

Corresponding  Secretary- 


WASHINGTON,  1).  C, 

April  12,  1898. 


Dr.  Thomas  C.  Smith, 


Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Medical  Society 
of  the  District  of  Columbia. 


My  Dear  Doctor  :  In  response  to  your  communi- 
cation transmitting  to  me  the  Preamble  and  Resolutions 
of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  District  of  Columbia 
in  commemoration  of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  my 
graduation  in  medicine,  I  beg  that  you  will  convey  to 
the  Society  the  assurance  of  my  appreciation  of  the 
distinguished  honor  conferred  upon  me,  and  of  the 
pleasure  and  gratification  it  gives  me  to  know  that 
my  conduct  and  bearing  through  so  many  years  have 
received  the  approval  and  commendation  of  my  pro- 
fessional friends  and  colleagues. 

With  great  respect  I  am 

Yours,  very  truly, 

Samuel  C.  Busev,  M.D. 


Anniversary  Reception 


N  the  evening  of  April  8,  1898,  Dr.  Busey 
welcomed  many  friends  at  his  residence,  corner 
of  Sixteenth  and  I  Streets,  the  occasion  being 
the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  graduation  in  medicine. 
The  congratulations  which  were  extended  to  the  host 
came  from  many  of  those  who  have  been  associated 
with  him  in  his  career  in  this  city  during  some  portion 
at  least  of  the  past  fifty  years.  It  is  given  to  but  few 
men  to  continue  for  so  many  years  in  a  position  of 
such  marked  prominence  as  has  been  the  case  with 
him,  not  alone  in  his  profession,  but  as  a  public-spirited 
citizen,  devoted  to  all  that  pertains  to  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  National  Capital,  whose  history  has  been 
enriched  by  his  graceful  pen,  and  its  healthfulness  and 
material  prosperity  promoted  by  his  untiring  efforts 
to  secure  a  better  water  supply  and  more  efficient 
methods  of  sanitation.  Those  who  joined  with  him 
in  the  observance  of  this  notable  anniversary  were, 
therefore,  not  only  professional  brethren,  but  represen- 
tative men  of  the  city. 

The    large    and    spacious    home    was    fragrant    and 
beautiful  with  floral  offerings,  sent  by  friends  of  a  life- 


time,  as  a  greeting  of  affection  and  esteem,  while  there 
were  notes  and  telegrams  from  distant  friends,  includ- 
ing one  or  more  from  the  Doctor's  own  classmates  of 
the  University  of   Pennsylvania. 

Among  the  out-of-town  guests  were  Dr.  A.  Jacobi,  of 
New  York  ;  Dr.  Blackader,  of  Montreal,  and  Drs.  Osier 
and  Hurd,  of  the  Johns  Hopkins  Hospital,  who  had 
come  to  pay  special  homage  to  the  veteran  physician. 
Every  branch  of  professional  life  was  represented,  one 
of  the  most  notable  guests  being  Senator  Morrill,  of 
Vermont,  whose  eighty-eighth  birthday  occurred  a  few 
days  later.1 

Among  the  laymen  present  the  following  may  be 
mentioned : 


James  G.  Berret 

Alexander  Graham  Bell 

John  B.  Wight 

Rev.  Dr.  T.  S.  Hamlin 

Frederick  L.  Moore 

Rev.  Dr.  Byron  Sunderland 

Rev.  Dr.  Pitzer 

W.  A.  Gordon 

Senator  A.  P.  Gorman 

W.  B.  Bryan 

Judge  M.  F.  Morris 

Gen.  John  Moore,  U.  S.  A. 


A.  R.  Spofford 
Charles  F.  Clagett 
William  H.  Clagett 
R.  Douglas  Simms 
George  F.  Appleby 
Worthington  Bowie 
W.  F.  Mattingly 
John  W.  Ross 
Beriah  Wilkins 
George  W.  McLanahan 
General  John  M.  Wilson 

B.  H.  Warner 


1  The  Washington  Post  and  Evening  Star  of  April  9,  iS 


Major  Robert  Craig 
Charles  Moore 
Anthony  Pollok 
Jeremiah  M.  Wilson 
Calderon  Carlisle 
D.  R.  McKee 
J.  K.  McCammon 
F.  P.  B.  Sands 
Senator  J.  H.  Gallinger 
Senator  Justin  S.  Morrill 


James  Morrill 
Monroe  Hopkins 
Charles  Early 
James  H.  Saville 
F.  W.  True 
Thomas  M.  Chatard 
Frank  Hacket 
W.  J.  McGee 
Mortimer  Addoms,  of 
New  York 


The  physicians  present  were : 


G.  L.  Magruder 
W.  W.  Johnston 
Charles  W.  Richardson 

F.  B.  Loring 
George  N.  Acker 
George  W.  Johnston 
M.  F.  Cuthbert 

G.  Wythe  Cook 
Z.  T.  Sowers 

P.  M.  Rixey,  U.  S.  N. 

R.  A.  Marmion,  U.  S.  N. 

L.  W.  Glazebrook 

H.  H.  Barker 

W.  Sinclair  Bowen 

Robert  Fletcher,  U.  S.  A. 

H.  L.  E.  Johnson 


A.  F.  A.  King 
Thomas  E.  McArdle 
James  Dudley  Morgan 
Francis  S.  Nash 
Robert  Reyburn 
A.  Rhett  Stewart 
John  D.  Thomas 
Frank  Hyatt 
Jos.  Taber  Johnson 
T.  Morris  Murray 
Ralph  D.  Walsh 
S.  S.  Adams 
J.  H.  Bryan 
E.  K.  Goldsborough 
Leigh  H.  French 
W.  M.  Sprigg 


James  Kerr 

T.  Richey  Stone 

W.  W.  Godding 

Francis  B.  Bishop 

C.  W.  Franzoni 

W.  B.  French 

C.  H.  A.  Kleinschmidt 

G.  M.  Kober 

Lewellyn  Eliot 

Surgeon- General  George  M.  Sternberg,  U.  S.  A. 

Assistant  Surg eon-  General  C.  H.  Alden,  U.  S.  A. 

Assistant  Surgeon-General^ .  H.  Forvvood,  U.  S.  A. 


John  S.  McLain 
George  C.  Ober 
A.  R.  Shands 
Thomas  C.  Smith 
J.  Ford  Thompson 
James  T.  Young 
William  C.  Woodward 
A.  A.  Snyder 


In  addition  to  the  personal  greetings,  the  Doctor 
received  letters  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  con- 
gratulating him  upon  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his 
doctorate  in  medicine.  The  following  may  be  named 
from  whom  such  letters  were  received  : 


Dr.  William  H.  Welch 
Dr.  Howard  A.  Kelly 
Dr.  William  Pepper 
Dr.  J.  F.  A.  Adams 
Dr.  J.  E.  Atkinson 
Dr.  John  S.  Billings 
Dr.  John  Byrne 
Dr.  James  R.  Chadwick 
Dr.  P.  S.  Conner    . 
Dr.  J.  M.  Da  Costa 


Baltimore,  Md. 
Baltimore,  Md. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Pittsfield,  Mass. 
Baltimore,  Md. 
New  York  City. 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Boston,  Mass. 
Cincinnati,  O. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 


Dr.  W.  H.  Draper 
Dr.  George  J.  Engelman 
Dr.  Bache  Emmet 
Dr.  R.  H.  Fitz 
Dr.  Thomas  Flandrau 
Dr.  C.  H.  Mastin   . 
Dr.  I.  Minis  Hays 
Dr.  Henry  Hun 
Dr.  E.  W.  Jenks     . 
Dr.  A.  W.  Johnston 
Dr.  Daniel  A.  Langhorne 
Dr.  R.  B.  Maury     . 
Dr.  S.  Weir  Mitchell 
Dr.  Paul  F.  Munde 
Dr.  T.  A.  Reamy    . 
Dr.  J.  C.  Reeve 
Dr.  T.  M.  Rotch     . 
Dr.  F.  C.  Shattuck 
Dr.  A.  J.  C.  Skene 
Dr.  L.  McLane  Tiffany 
Dr.  H.  C.  Wood     . 
Dr.  Charles  H.  Stowell 
Sir  William  MacCormack 


New  York  City. 
Boston,  Mass. 
New  York  City. 
Boston,  Mass. 
Rome,  N.  Y. 
Mobile,  Ala. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Albany,  N.  Y. 
Detroit,  Mich. 
Cincinnati,  O. 
Lynchburg,  Va. 
Memphis,  Tenn. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
New  York  City. 
Cincinnati,  O. 
Dayton,  O. 
Boston,  Mass. 
Boston,  Mass. 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Baltimore,  Md. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Lowell,  Mass. 
London,  Eng. 


1848  1898 

Complimentary  ^Dinner 

TO 

SAMUEL  CLAGETT  BUSEY,  M.D.,  LL.D. 

ON  THE 

jfiftietb  anniversary  of  bia  (Srabuatton 


BY  MEMBERS  OF  THE 

MEDICAL  SOCIETY  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA 

AT  RAUSCHER'S,  SATURDAY,  APRIL  16,  1898. 


COMMITTEE   OF   ARRANGEMENTS 


Dr.  JOSEPH   TABER   JOHNSON 
Dr.  J.  FORD   THOMPSON 

Dr.  W.  W.  JOHNSTON 

Dr.  THOMAS   C.  SMITH 

Dr.  C.  W.   FRANZONI 


April  13,  1898. 

Dear  Doctor  : 

A  number  of  members  of  the  Medical  Society  deem 
it  a  pleasure  to  tender  to  you  the  compliment  of  a 
dinner  at  Rauscher's,  on  Saturday  evening  next  at 
eight  o'clock. 

Will  you  kindly  signify  to  the  Committee  whether 
the  place  and  time  indicated  above  will  be  agreeable 
to  you  ? 

This  action  is  taken  in  view  of  the  fact  that  you 
have  just  celebrated  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  your 
graduation  in  medicine,  and  is  a  spontaneous  offering 
from  your  friends  in  the  Society,  who  wish  in  this 
manner  to  manifest  their  appreciation  of  your  services 
to  the  Society  and  the  profession  generally. 

Awaiting  your  reply,  I  have  the  honor  to  be 
Yours,  very  truly, 

Thomas  C.  Smith,  M.D., 

Secretary  of  the  Committee. 

Dr.  Samuel  C.  Busey, 

901  Sixteenth  Street,  N.  W. 


901  Sixteenth  Street,  N.  W., 

April  13,  1898. 

Dr.  Thomas  C.  Smith, 

Dear  Sir  :  Your  polite  communication  tendering  to 
me  a  complimentary  dinner  at  Rauscher's,  at  eight 
o'clock,  Saturday,  April  i6th,  has  been  received. 

It  will  give  me  great  pleasure  to  meet  the  friends 
who  tender  to  me  the  distinguished  honor,  at  the  time 
and  place  named. 

Accept  the  assurance  of  my  highest  regard  and 
appreciation  of  the  compliment  of  the  Committee  and 
other  friends. 

Yours,  very  truly, 


Samuel  C.  Busey,  M.D. 


Present  at  the  Complimentary  Dinner 


HN  Saturday  evening,  April  16th,  at  eight  o'clock, 
the  gentlemen  present  assembled  around  the 
festive  boards,  which   were    arranged    in  the 

form    of  a    horseshoe,   a   token    of   good   luck   to    the 

guest  of  the  evening. 


Dr.  A.  F.  A.  King 

Dr.  J.  Ford  Thompson 

Dr.  C.  W.  Franzoni 

Dr.  C.  H.  A.  Kleinschmidt 

Dr.  Mary  Parsons 

Dr.  Z.  T.  Sowers 

Dr.  W.  W.  Johnston 

Dr.  Frank  Baker 

Dr.  Robert  Reyburn 

Dr.  Franck  Hyatt 

Dr.  I.  S.  Stone 

Dr.  H.  L.  E.  Johnson 

Dr.  Samuel  S.  Adams 

Dr.  Thomas  C.  Smith 


Dr.  George  C.  Ober 

Dr.  L.  L.  Friedrich 

Dr.  J.  S.  McLain 

Dr.  A.  R.  Shands 

Dr.  John  F.  Moran 

Dr.  A.  A.  Hoehling,  U.  S.  N. 

Dr.  T.  E.  McArdle 

Dr.  G.  Lloyd  Magruder 

Dr.  P.  M.  Rixey,  U.  S.  N. 

Dr.  Robert  Fletcher,  U.  S.  A. 

Dr.  J.  H.  Bryan 

Dr.  J.  T.  Young 

Dr.  L.  W.  Glazebrook 

Dr.  G.  Wythe  Cook 


Dr.  W.  M.  Sprigg 
Dr.  J.  D.  Thomas 
Dr.  D.  P.  Hickling 
Dr.  A.  E.  de  Schweinitz 
Dr.  T.  V.  Hammond 
Dr.  E.  O.  Belt 
Dr.  W.  S.  Bowen 
Dr.  James  Kerr 
Dr.  Leigh  H.  French 


Dr.  H.  H.  Barker 

Dr.  J.  Dudley  Morgan 

Dr.  F.  S.  Nash 

Dr.  W.  C.  Woodward 

Dr.  J.  W.  Bovee 

Dr.  J.  T.  Winter 

Dr.  G.  N.  Acker 

Dr.  Charles  W.  Richardson 

Dr.  George  M.  Kober 


Joseph  Taber  Johnson 

Surgeon-General  George  M.  Sternberg,  U.  S.  A. 

Assistant  Surgeon-General  C.  H.  Alden,  U.  S.  A. 

Assistant  Surgeon-  General  W.  H.  Forwood,  U.  S.  A. 

Supervising  Surgeon-General '  W '.  Wyman,  U.  S.  Marine 

Hospital  Service 


@WI«nu 


OYSTERS-BLUE  POINTS 
MUSCOVITES 


CONSOMME  DELICNAC 


Sauterne 


MOUSSE  D'YORK 
SALTED  ALMONDS  RADISHES 


FILLETS  OF  STRIPED  BASS,  JOINVILLE 
POMMES  PARISIENNES  CUCUMBERS 

SPRING   LAMB,  MINT  SAUCE 

St.  Jtxlien 
NEW  PEAS  J 


SPRING  CHICKEN,  A  LA   CHEVALIERE 

-•—  Cham.pa.gne,  Louis  Ifpderer 

SORBET  LALLA  ROOKH 

SNIPES 
SALAD  DE  SAISON 

ASPERGES  NORWEGIENNE 

TURBANS  AUX  FRAISES 

FANCY  CAKES  BONBONS  PEPPERMINTS 

SALTED  ALMONDS  MARRON   CLACES,  ETC. 

COFFEE 
CIGARS 


Toasts  and  Responses 


Dr.  A.  F.  A.  King,  Toastmaster. 

"  Look  !  he's  winding  tip  the  -match  of  his  wit ; 
By  and  by  it  will  strike" 

i .   Dr.  Busey,  President  of  the  Medical  Society. 

Dr.  T.  C.  Smith. 

"  Whilst  the  trump  did  sound,  or  drum  struck  up, 
His  sword  did  ne'er  leave  striking  in  the  field" 

2.  Dr.  Busey,  Citizen  and  Sanitarian. 

Surgeon-General  George  M.  Sternberg. 

"  Non  sibi,  sed  patrics." 

"  Till  tatight  by  pain, 
Men  really  know  not  what  good  water's  worth." 

3.  Dr.  Busey,  Physician,  Author  and  Teacher. 

Dr.  George  M.  Kober. 

"  He  was  a  scholar,  and  a  ripe  and  good  one  ; 
Exceeding  wise ,  fair-spoken  and  persuading." 


4.  Response  by  Dr.  Busey. 


8111 


&m. 


ADDRESS  BY  DR.  A.  F.  A.  KING,  TOASTMASTER. 

Our  Honored  Guest  and  Friends  :  The  occasion 
which  brings  us  together  to-night  is  an  extremely  pleas- 
ant one  ;  and  I  feel  sure  it  is  no  less  so  to  the  dis- 
tinguished guest  in  whose  honor  we  have  assembled 
than  to  ourselves. 

I  beg  to  extend  to  you  my  grateful  appreciation  of 
your  kindness  and  good-will  in  selecting  me  to  preside 
over  your  deliberations  on  this  festive  occasion,  and,  as 
you  will  see  by  the  printed  menu,  I  am  indebted  to  the 
Committee  of  Arrangements  for  a  suggestion  of  brevity 
in  my  remarks,  in  their  intimation  that  I  should  "  wind- 
up  "  before  I  have  begun. 

It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  add  to  the  general  voice 
of  the  Medical  Society  my  own  congratulations  to  Dr. 
Busey  on  this  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  graduation  in 
medicine. 

As  years  roll  by  we  all  like  to  indulge  in  retrospective 
reviews  of  by-gone  days,  and  this  leads  me  to  recall  the 
occasion  on  which  I  first  saw  Dr.  Busey  ;  this  was  some 
thirty  years  ago.1  I  was  the  Recording  Secretary  of  the 
Medical  Society.  We  held  our  meetings  in  the  lecture- 
room  of  the  Medical  Department  of  Georgetown  Uni- 
versity.    During  the  proceedings  on  this  particular  occa- 

1  The  incident  referred  to  by  Dr.  King  occurred  soon  after  the  reorganization  of  the 
Society,  in  1S66,  which  established  the  weekly  meetings  for  the  consideration  of  scientific 
subjects.  Dr.  Busey  had  not  taken  an  active  interest  previous  to  the  occasion  noted  by 
the  Recording  Secretary. — G.  M.  K. 


sion  a  gentleman  entered  the  hall  who  was  unknown  to 
me.  Very  soon  he  arose  and  addressed  the  Chair,  and 
I  was  so  impressed  with  the  grace  of  gesture  and  im- 
perious oratory  with  which  his  remarks  were  embellished, 
and  which  might  well  "command  a  listening  Senate," 
that  after  he  had  concluded  his  speech  and  resumed  his 
seat  I  jocosely  remarked  to  the  gentleman  sitting  next 
to  me,  "What  was  that?  "  and  he  told  me  it  was  Dr.  S. 
C.  Busey,  whereupon  I  recorded  his  name  among  those 
in  attendance  at  the  meeting.  Since  that  time  we  have 
all,  on  numerous  occasions,  listened  with  rapt  attention 
and  pleasure  to  our  distinguished  friend's  impressive 
and  finished  oratory — one  of  the  noblest  gifts  of  God  to 
man. 

But  I  must  not  anticipate  the  gentlemen  who  are  to 
respond  to  the  regular  toasts  by  enlarging  upon  the 
numerous  talents  and  abilities  of  our  honored  guest. 

What  a  glorious  thing  is  age,  especially  when  it  comes 
to  us  ladened  with  the  recollections  of  an  honored  and 
useful  career ! 

When  the  noonday  of  life  is  passed,  when  its  battles 
have  been  fought  with  courage  and  victory,  we  all  like 
to  see  the  evening  with  a  sunset  of  gold  and  color  and 
splendor.  Such  a  conception,  I  think,  fitly  typifies  the 
past  career  and  present  surroundings  of  our  distin- 
guished colleague,  in  whose  honor  we  have  assembled 
to-night. 

Once  more  extending  my  congratulations  and  best 
wishes  to  Dr.  Busey,  with  the  hope  that  he  may  be  with 
us  for  many  years  yet  to  come,  I  now  proceed  to  the 
first  of  the  regular  toasts  :  "  Dr.  Busey,  President  of  the 
Medical  Society,'"  and  call  upon  our  genial  Correspond- 
ing Secretary,  Dr.  T.  C.  Smith,  to  respond. 


Dr,  Busey,  President  of  the  Medical  Society," 


By  DR.  THOMAS  C.  SMITH. 


Gentlemen  :  I  am  before  you  to  fulfil  a  pleasant 
duty,  and  will  endeavor  to  express  the  sentiments  which 
animate  the  members  of  the  Medical  Society  by  this 
testimony  of  our  appreciation  of  the  worth  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Medical  Society. 

Seventy-nine  years  have  passed  since  the  Medical 
Society  was  incorporated,  and  in  that  time  thirty-three 
men  have  served  as  President.  What  the  Society  has 
done  in  all  these  years  has,  to  some  extent,  been  made 
a  matter  of  history  by  the  address  of  Dr.  XV.  W.  John- 
ston, delivered  at  the  seventy-fifth  anniversary  of  the 
Society,  in  1894. 

In  the  list  of  names  of  Presidents  I  recall  those  who, 
in  days  gone  by,  were  powers  in  this  community.  I  love 
to  think  of  those  great  men,  for  so  I  regard  them.  Hall, 
Borrows,  Lieberman,  Miller,  Wm.  P.  Johnston,  Toner, 
Tyler,  Morgan,  Johnson  Eliot,  Hagner,  Palmer,  Lee, 
Garnett,  the  lamented  Ashford  were  among  the  number  ; 
and  I  would  ask  if  any  society  can  produce  a  galaxy 
which  will  surpass  these  men  in  the  attributes  which  go 
to  make  up  character,  ability,  and  usefulness  ?  Do  we 
not  remember  what  active,  useful,  faithful  public  servants 


these  men  were  until  their  work  was  arrested  by  sick- 
ness or  other  disabilities.  What  an  amount  of  work 
was  accomplished  by  Joseph  M.  Toner !  What  a  restless, 
ever  busy  mortal  was  Johnson  Eliot !  What  a  mine  of 
experience  and  reminiscence  did  we  possess  in  Joseph 
Borrows  !  And  of  the  others,  can  we  not  name  them 
with  enthusiasm,  because  of  their  sterling  worth  and  of 
their  labors  to  maintain  the  dignity  and  welfare  of  the 
medical  profession  ?  Truly,  the  Society  was  in  good 
hands  when  these  men  were  at  the  helm. 

But  we  are  here  to-night  to  do  honor  to  the  living. 
We  have  not  waited  until  Dr.  Busey  should  have  passed 
away  so  that  resolutions  of  respect  might  be  adopted. 
We  salute  him  as  the  living,  active,  worthy  President  of 
the  Society,  and  propose  to  tell  him  to  his  face  what  we 
think  of  him,  for  by  so  doing  we  may  cheer  him  in  his 
advancing  years,  and  have  him  realize  from  day  to  day 
how  his  worth  and  work  are  appreciated. 

What  has  he  done  as  President  of  the  Society?  He 
has  never  shirked  the  work  that  has  been  assigned  to 
him,  and,  in  fact,  which  he  has  taken  upon  himself,  when 
it  would  have  more  fairly  devolved  upon  younger  and 
physically  stronger  men.  When  it  was  proposed,  in 
1893,  that  the  seventy-fifth  anniversary  of  the  Medical 
Society  should  be  properly  celebrated,  who  was  it  that 
was  made  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Arrangements, 
and  whose  intelligence  and  industry  made  that  meeting  a 
great  success  ?  Samuel  C.  Busey.  When  it  was  deemed 
essential  that  the  President  of  the  Medical  Society  of 
the  year  1894,  whose  duty  it  would  be  to  preside  at 
the  anniversary,  should  be  one  who  possessed  the  dig- 
nity, intelligence,  patience,  capacity,  and  ability  to  do 
credit  to  the  Society,  and  who  had  the  confidence  of  all, 


who  was  unanimously  chosen  to  fill  that  office  ?  Samuel 
C.  Busey.  And  the  Society  has  shown  its  good  sense 
and  appreciation  of  faithful  service  by  keeping  him  in 
office  ever  since.  When  important  business  pertaining 
to  the  interest  of  the  profession  had  to  be  prepared  for 
presentation  to  Congress ;  when  it  was  necessary  to 
stand  between  the  tyranny  of  the  courts  of  law  and 
the  physician,  jealous  of  his  honor  in  maintaining  invio- 
late the  confidences  of  his  patients  ;  when  the  necessity 
of  protecting  the  public  against  the  spread  of  contagious 
diseases;  when  the  "freaks"  who  infest  the  community 
raised  the  cry  against  vivisection  and  appealed  to  Con- 
gress to  stop  the  work  of  the  great  humanitarians  who 
are  striving,  by  experiments  on  the  lower  animals,  to 
devise  means  for  protecting  humanity  from  the  fearful 
ravages  of  disease,  and  it  was  necessary  to  antagonize 
them  and  their  work;  when  these  and  other  measures 
needed  a  champion,  to  whom  did  all  turn,  and  not  vainly, 
for  advice,  support,  and  earnest  work?  Samuel  C.  Busey. 
A  few  years  ago  when  a  fearful  accident  placed  the  life 
of  our  friend  in  jeopardy,  and  we  did  not  know  whether 
we  should  ever  see  him  at  the  Society  again,  deep  was 
the  sorrow  of  all  ;  but  a  kind  Providence  spared  him, 
and  our  joy  was  full  when  we  saw  him  coming  into  the 
meeting,  walking  on  crutches.  Pale,  emaciated,  feeble, 
he  was  at  his  post  of  duty  when  many  others  were 
resting  at  home,  because  they  did  not  feel  like  coming 
out.  There  are  a  great  many  men  in  the  profession 
who  after  reaching  the  age  of  fifty  years,  more  or  less, 
conclude  that  there  is  nothing  for  them  to  do  but  lead 
lives  of  "innocuous  desuetude,"  so  to  speak,  and  they 
settle  down  and  wait  for  death  to  come  along  and  knock 
them  on  the  head.     Not  so  with  our  President.     Good 


and  bad  weather  finds  him  at  the  Society,  encouraging, 
by  his  presence  and  words,  those  who  are  trying  to  make 
the  meetings  interesting  and  profitable.  He  is  no  drone, 
and  does  not  encourage  such.  As  President  of  the 
Society,  he  has  looked  after  the  interests  of  the  young 
men,  and  encouraged  them  to  take  an  active  part  in  the 
work  of  the  Society,  by  appointing  them  as  essayists 
and  on  committees.  He  is  and  has  been  the  friend  of 
the  young  practitioner. 

Time  will  not  permit  me  to  say  more.  I  have  not 
indulged  in  fulsome  flattery.  I  have  spoken  the  truth, 
and  you  are  all  aware  that  it  is  only  facts  that  I  have 
given  you. 

Life  is  worth  living  if  it  is  lived  well.  I  believe  the 
life  our  worthy  President  has  thus  far  lived  has  been 
worth  living,  because  it  has  been  actively  spent  in  doing 
those  things  which  were  for  the  benefit  of  the  profession 
and  the  community. 

Lacking  physical  vigor,  as  he  now  does,  but  with  an 
active  mind  reaching  out  to  find  ways  and  means  for 
furthering  the  interest  of  his  fellow-beings,  we  can  do 
no  less  than  admire  the  indomitable  will  which  dominates 
his  frame.  We  extend  to  him  our  warmest  greetings, 
and  I  trust  that  when  it  shall  be  his  turn  to  approach  the 
"  Gates  of  the  City,"  he  may  hear  from  another  tongue 
than  ours  the  plaudits  with  which  we  greet  him  to-night, 
"Good  and  faithful  servant,  well  done." 


Dr.  Busey,  Citizen  and  Sanitarian/ 


By  SURGEON-GENERAL  GEORGE  M.  STERNBERG, 
U.  S.  ARMY. 


It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  respond  to  the  toast, 
"  Dr.  Busey  as  a  Public-spirited  Citizen,"  because  I 
believe  that  the  well-informed  physician  who  interests 
himself  in  the  general  welfare  of  the  community  in  which 
he  lives  may  contribute  more  to  the  preservation  of  the 
health  of  his  fellow-citizens  than  by  his  ministrations 
upon  the  sick. 

The  speaker  then  reviewed  Dr.  Busey's  valuable 
contributions  to  the  literature  of  preventive  medicine, 
referring  to  his  address  on  "  The  Gathering,  Packing, 
Transportation  and  Sale  of  Fresh  Vegetables  and  Fruits," 
delivered  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Public 
Health  Association,  in  Philadelphia,  in  1874,  and  to  his 
excellent  essay  on  "Washington  Malaria,"  published  in 
the  National  Health  Bulletin,  in  1882,  wherein  he  de- 
scribes not  only  the  unsanitary  local  conditions  which 
favor  the  development  of  malaria,  but  also  indicated  how 
these  factors  can  be  abated  by  reclaiming  the  river  flats, 
providing  subsoil  drainage,  and  hastening  the  comple- 
tion of  the  sewer  systems  and  the  grading  and  improve- 
ment of  streets,  together  with  stringent  regulations 
against  uncemented  cellars  and  basements.  In  this 
essay  Dr.  Busey  advocated  the  extension  of  the  Capitol 


Park  south  to  the  river  shore,  and  its  connection  with 
the  reclaimed  Hats  along  the  Potomac,  and  many  other 
sanitary  reforms,  as  shown  by  one  of  his  characteristic 
and  terse  sentences:  "Straighten  the  channel  of  Rock 
Creek  by  cutting  across  the  horseshoe  bend  at  P  Street ; 
hide  its  filthy  shores  by  an  arch  and  open  a  park  along 
its  course ;  empty  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal  into 
the  Potomac  above  the  limits  of  Georgetown,  and  destroy 
the  unsightly  observation  of  this  cesspool  of  filthy  water 
and  unsavory  stenches." 

The  speaker  next  referred  to  Dr.  Busey's  essay  on 
"The  Mortality  of  Young  Children,  its  Causes  and 
Prevention,  and  the  Sanitary  Care  and  Treatment  of 
Children,"  published  in  1SS1  ;  "The  Influence  of  the 
Constant  Use  of  High-heeled  French  Shoes  upon  the 
Health  and  Form  of  the  Female  and  upon  the  Relation 
of  the  Pelvic  Organs,"  published  in  1S82  ;  "  The  Natural 
Hygiene  of  Child-bearing  Life;"  his  essay  upon  "The 
Wrongs  of  Craniotomy  upon  the  Living  Fcetus,"  pub- 
lished in  1889,  and  his  contributions  to  "Morbific  and 
Infectious  Milk,"  published  in  1895. 

The  speaker  then  reviewed  Dr.  Busey's  achievements 
as  President  of  the  Medical  Society  and  as  Chairman  of 
the  Committee  on  Public  Health,  his  work  in  urging  on 
Congress  the  legislation  necessary  for  placing  the  city 
of  Washington  in  a  satisfactory  sanitary  condition,  and 
enumerated  what  had  actually  been  accomplished  in  the 
way  of  sanitary  legislation.  He  emphasized  the  fact 
that  Dr.  Busey's  addresses  before  the  Medical  Society, 
the  Board  of  Trade  and  other  meetings  had  awakened 
the  public  and  legislators  to  the  necessity  of  an  improved 
water  supply  and  the  prompt  completion  of  the  sewerage 
system. 


The  speaker  referred  to  Dr.  Busey's  deep  interest  in 
the  medical  profession,  as  shown  by  his  efforts  to  secure 
a  law  regulating  the  practice  of  medicine  in  the  District 
of  Columbia,  and  the  law  relating  to  the  testimony  of 
physicians  in  the  courts  ;  his  zeal  in  opposing  the  anti- 
vivisection  movement,  and  his  leadership  in  the  correc- 
tion of  hospital  and  dispensary  abuses.  He  also  referred 
to  Dr.  Busey's  connection  with  the  hospitals  and  other 
public  institutions  in  the  city,  as  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Children's  and  of  the  Garfield  Hospitals,  and  one  of 
the  staunchest  advocates  for  the  establishment  of  a  hos- 
pital for  contagious  diseases. 

I  have  not  attempted  to  give  a  complete  review  of  Dr. 
Busey's  life-long  labors  as  a  public-spirited  citizen,  but 
enough  has  been  said  to  show  that  his  fellow-citizens  owe 
him  a  debt  of  gratitude  for  the  intelligent  and  zealous 
activity  which  he  has  displayed  in  all  matters  relating  to 
the  sanitary  and  material  interests  of  the  city  of  Wash- 
ington. 

[Unfortunately  the  manuscript  of  General  Sternberg's    address  was  lost,  and  it  is 
impossible  to  reproduce  his  remarks  in  full.] 


/^^ 


<^2^y 


Dr.  Busey,  Physician,  Author  and  Teacher/ 


By  DR.  GEORGE  M.  KOBER. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Our  Honored  Guest,  Friends  and 
Colleagues  :  There  is  something  so  remarkable  in  the 
career  of  the  man  whom  we  honor  to-night  that  it  may 
not  be  without  a  lesson  to  inquire  into  the  causes  of  his 
success  as  a  physician,  author  and  teacher. 

Whoever  takes  up  Dr.  Busey's  Sottvenir  and  looks  at 
his  portrait,  the  original  of  which  was  taken  just  fifty 
years  ago,  cannot  fail  to  be  impressed  that  the  features 
are  those  of  a  refined,  studious  young  man,  full  of 
seriousness,  erudition  and  good  sense — qualities  which 
had  been  carefully  nursed  by  a  Christian  mother  and 
ripened  under  the  guidance  of  the  great  teacher  and 
physician,  George  Bacon  Wood. 

Dr.  Mastin,  of  Mobile,  Alabama,  in  a  recent  publica- 
tion, in  speaking  of  his  classmate,  says :  "  Busey  was 
an  especial  favorite  of  Dr.  Wood,  and  even  in  his 
youth  gave  promise  of  the  distinction  at  which  he  has 
arrived."  .  .  .  "Although  reserved  and  dignified,  he  was 
liked  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him." 

The  concluding  sentence  of  this  character-sketch  of 
Busey  at  the  age  of   twenty  is  true  of  him  to-day. 


Gifted  by  nature  with  qualities  which  he  carefully 
cultivated,  Dr.  Busey,  from  the  day  of  his  graduation, 
was  imbued  with  the  greatness  and  responsibility  of 
his  calling,  and  fully  realized  that,  apart  from  scientific 
attainments,  the  successful  physician  must  possess  purity 
of  character,  a  high  standard  of  moral  excellence,  and, 
above  all,  "a  conscience  to  adjudge  the  penalties  of 
ignorance  and  neglect." 

We  know  by  his  biography  that  the  moderate  income 
which  he  inherited  was  scarcely  sufficient  to  defray  the 
necessary  expenses  of  his  education,  and  yet,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one,  he  assumed  the  responsibilities  of  matri- 
mony and  established  a  modest  home.  Realizing,  how- 
ever, his  obligation  to  shield  his  helpmate  from  future 
want,  and  evidently  believing  that  every  man  can 
hammer  out  his  own  fortune,  he  set  out  in  life  deter- 
mined to  accomplish  this  purpose. 

His  brilliant  professional  career  and  the  distinction 
which  he  has  achieved  are  at  once  the  badge  and 
reward  of  all  the  higher  and  nobler  attributes  of  the 
true  physician. 

In  the  practice  of  his  profession  he  "united  tender- 
ness with  firmness,  condescension  with  authority,"  bore 
in  silence  his  cares,  with  dignity  his  responsibilities,  and 
with  humility  his  disappointments.  These  qualities, 
together  with  a  steadfast  devotion  to  humanity,  secured 
for  him  the  confidence,  gratitude  and  respect  of  his 
patients. 

When,  fifty  years  ago,  Dr.  Busey  stood  on  the 
threshold  of  his  professional  life,  he  realized,  too,  that 
to  be  worthy  of  the  high  calling  he  had  chosen,  study 
must  fill  his  every  moment ;  to  be  successful  in  life, 
he  must  unceasingly  study  ;  and  to  gain  admittance  into 


the  Temple  of  Fame — study,  honesty  and  truth  must  be 
his  watchwords. 

How  well  he  performed  this  task  is  shown  by  a  list 
of  over  163  distinct  contributions  to  medical  literature, 
besides  his  miscellaneous  publications,  such  as  his  ad- 
dresses, his  Reminiscences  and  Souvenir.  The  world  is 
indebted  to  him  for  his  work  on  Congenital  Occlusion 
and  Dilatation  of  Lymph  Channels,  and  his  masterly  ex- 
position of  The  Wrongs  of  Craniotomy  icpon  the  Living 
Foetus — writings  which  have  long  since  become  classic. 
Of  his  other  contributions,  many  of  which  are  encyclo- 
paedic, I  will  only  say  that  he  never  wrote  unless  he  had 
something  to  say,  and  he  said  it  well. 

His  Pen  Pictures  of  the  City  of  Washington  in  the 
Past,  indited  at  the  age  of  seventy,  and  while  in  feeble 
health,  is  a  monument  to  his  literary  industry,  patriotism 
and  love  for  truth. 

It  was  my  good  fortune  to  meet  our  honored  guest 
just  twenty-five  years  ago  as  Professor  of  Diseases  of 
Children  in  a  Post  Graduate  course  then  inaugurated. 
One  of  the  blessings  which  resulted  from  his  connection 
with  this  school  and  the  Department  of  Diseases  of 
Children,  at  the  Columbia  Hospital,  was  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Children's  Hospital  in  this  city  in  1870.  In 
fact,  it  may  be  truly  said  that  he  was  the  founder  of 
Pediatric  Medicine  in  this  city.  Although  this  school 
was  characterized  by  some  as  an  over-ambitious  attempt 
in  medical  education,  history  shows  that  the  promoters, 
of  which  he  was  one,  simply  planned  many  years  ahead 
of  their  contemporaries.  Nor  can  I  refrain  here  from 
declaring  that  whatever  success  many  of  us  have  at- 
tained is  due  to  the  precepts  and  example  of  Dr. 
Busey   as    a   teacher   and   a  man  ;    while  his  steadfast 


purpose  to  keep  abreast  with  the  progress  of  medical  sci- 
ence, even  now,  is  an  example  worthy  of  our  emulation. 

Our  honored  guest,  notwithstanding  his  natural  re- 
serve and  austerity,  has  always  been  the  friend  and 
leader  of  the  struggling  young  practitioner.  Early  in 
the  seventies  he  devoted  his  energies  to  the  election  of 
young  men  as  delegates  to  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation. I  was  present  at  a  meeting  of  the  Medical  Asso- 
ciation in  May,  1874,  when  he  spoke  on  his  motion  to 
revise  the  Code  of  Ethics  and  Regulations  so  as  to  con- 
form to  the  Code  of  the  American  Medical  Association. 
He  ably  supported  the  effort  of  Dr.  J.  Ford  Thompson 
to  secure  consultations  for  female  physicians  and  physi- 
cians of  African  descent,  maintaining  that  "consultations 
were  for  the  benefit  of  and  belonged  to  the  patient." 

For  similar  reasons  he  advocated  the  removal  of  the 
restriction  placed  upon  professional  intercourse  with 
army  and  navy  surgeons  stationed  in  this  city.  He 
vigorously  protested  against  the  admission  of  medical 
men  employed  as  clerks  in  the  departments,  "not  be- 
cause they  were  necessarily  incompetent,  as  had  been 
charged  by  some,  but  from  the  nature  of  their  em- 
ployment they  could  not  be  thoroughly  identified  with 
the  profession."  At  the  same  meeting  he  objected  to 
the  establishment  of  a  maximum  fee,  and  insisted  that 
every  physician  should  have  the  right  to  regulate  his 
charges  by  the  amount,  character,  and  importance  of 
the  service  and  the  ability  of  the  patient  to  pay  for 
the  same. 

All  these  and  other  measures  of  reform  he  prose- 
cuted with  his  characteristic  vigor  and  tenacity,  and 
although  his  opponents,  smarting  at  times  under  his 
incisive    sarcasm,   were    pleased    to    speak    of    him   as 


"  Busey,  the  dominant,"  no  one  questioned  the  justice 
of  his  cause,  and  in  1875  he  was  elected  President  of 
the  Association. 

We  have  simply  to  recall  his  leadership  in  the  recent 
movement  toward  the  correction  of  abuses  in  medical 
charities  to  appreciate  that  Dr.  Busey,  whether  in  the 
Chair,  in  the  committee-room,  or  on  the  floor,  has  uni- 
formly contended  for  the  rights,  honor  and  dignity  of 
the  medical  profession. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  a  large  share  of  his  profes- 
sional success  is  due  to  a  careful  study  and  strict  observ- 
ance of  the  Code  of  Ethics  of  the  American  Medical 
Association.  He  was  present  when  it  was  first  pro- 
claimed in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  in  1847,  and  his 
youthful  mind  must  have  been  deeply  impressed  with 
the  lofty  tenets  in  which  the  duties  of  physicians  to  their 
patients,  to  the  profession  and  the  public  are  prescribed. 

That  he  has  discharged  his  duties  to  his  patients  is 
shown  by  the  universal  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  in  the 
community.  That  he  has  discharged  his  obligations  to 
the  profession  is  evidenced  by  his  sixth  re-election  as 
President  of  the  Medical  Society,  and  that  he  has  filled 
every  position  of  honor  and  trust  which  the  profession 
of  this  city  and  the  Association  of  American  Physicians 
could  confer  upon  him.  That  he  has  discharged  his 
duties  to  the  public  is  evinced  in  his  contributions  to 
preventive  medicine,  and  the  fact  that  during  the  past 
eight  years  he,  with  his  able  lieutenants  in  the  Commit- 
tee on  Legislation,  has  been  instrumental  in  framing 
and  enacting  seven  laws  in  the  interest  of  public  health. 

Indeed,  the  history  of  sanitation  in  this  city  is  insepar- 
ably connected  with  that  of  the  Medical  Society  and 
Dr.  Busey  as  its  President. 


Yielding  now,  however,  to  the  resistless  influence  of 
time  and  space,  permit  me,  my  loved  and  honored  friend, 
in  the  name  of  the  medical  profession,  to  renew  our 
hearty  congratulations  upon  your  golden  wedding-day 
of  professional  life,  united  with  the  fondest  hope  that 
health  and  peace  shall  be  yours  till  life  shall  end. 

Hygeia  will  attend  when  years  run  trembling  down 
With  honor's  wreath  your  whitened  hairs  to  crown, 

and  Minerva  Medica  will  usher  you  through  the  portals 
beyond,  and  proudly  but  reverently  present  you  to  the 
Supreme  Healer  of  the  universe  as  a  type  of  the  true 

physician. 


RESPONSE  BY  DR.  BUSEY. 

Mr.  President,  Friends  and  Colleagues  :  I  have 
addressed  you  as  friends  and  colleagues  that  I  might  give 
expression  to  the  high  regard  in  which  I  hold  those  who 
have  honored  me.  An  occasion  like  this  is  so  unusual 
that  one  cannot  fail  to  appreciate  the  distinction  which 
can  only  come  to  the  few  who  may  survive  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  their  graduation  in  medicine.  When  to 
this  are  added  the  many  expressions  of  the  good-will  of 
my  colleagues,  I  need  not  tell  you  how  grateful  I  am.  If 
I  should  attempt  to  measure  my  gratitude  in  words  I  fear 
a  loosened  tongue  would  run  riot  in  the  futile  effort. 

I  am  admonished  that  I  must  not  trespass  too  heavily 
upon  my  strength,  but  there  are  some  things  that  I  must 
say  even  at  the  risk  of  unpleasant  results. 

When  I  came  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Medical  Society 
in  1 894  I  made  two  resolutions :  First,  to  make  every 
effort  in  my  power  to  promote  the  scientific  progress  of 
the  Society  ;  and,  secondly,  to  encourage  the  profession 
to  assert  itself  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  sanitation  and 
preventive  medicine.  How  far  these  purposes  have  been 
accomplished  history  must  determine.  I  cannot,  how- 
ever, claim  all  the  merit  which  has  been  so  generously 
bestowed  upon  me  for  what  has  been  done.  To  Dr. 
Smith  much  is  due.  He  has  collected  and  arranged  the 
material  and  prepared  the  programmes  for  the  weekly 
meetings,  which  I  have  executed,  so  that  to  him  must  be 


given  the  larger  share  of  the  praise  for  the  scientific 
progress  of  the  Society  during  the  past  four  years.  I 
must  also  share  with  the  Committee  on  Legislation  the 
success  which  has  crowned  our  efforts  in  State  medicine, 
in  securing  for  this  community  so  much  in  the  line  of 
preventive  medicine.  No  one  of  that  committee  has 
faltered  in  the  good  work  or  shirked  his  duty,  but  I  can- 
not omit  mention  of  Drs.  W.  W.  Johnston  and  Z.  T. 
Sowers,  whose  very  valuable  services  have  contributed 
so  much  to  promote  the  sanitation  of  the  city.  The 
Medical  Society  has,  during  the  past  five  years,  accom- 
plished more  good  in  this  line  than  had  been  done  during 
the  previous  one  hundred  years,  and  it  is  hoped,  with 
the  same  unity  and  force  of  purpose,  the  progress  of 
State  medicine  and  public  hygiene  in  this  Capital  City 
will  be  coeval  with  the  development  of  scientific  sani- 
tation. 

To  the  many  kind  expressions  of  good-will  and  com- 
mendation I  cannot  respond.  They  come  to  one  who  is 
not  free  from  disappointment,  regret  and  sorrow ;  to  one 
not  free  from  mistakes,  who  has  neglected  and  thrown 
away  opportunities.  The  chief  regret  of  my  life  is  that 
I  have  accomplished  so  little.  With  a  prosperous  begin- 
ning and  fair  success,  I  was  so  absorbed  in  the  routine 
duties  of  a  busy  practitioner  that  I  failed  to  realize  the 
importance  and  magnitude  of  the  duties  of  good  citizen- 
ship which  are  incumbent  upon  every  practitioner  of 
medicine.  If  I  have,  during  later  years,  sought  to  lead, 
direct  and  unite  my  colleagues  in  efforts  to  discharge 
their  public  duties,  I  have  only  partially  fulfilled  my  obli- 
gations to  you  and  to  this  community.  I  live  in  the  hope 
that  some  successor  will  take  up  this  line  of  work  where 
I  may  leave  it,  and  prosecute  it  with  vigor  and  energy, 


to  the  end  that  our  beloved  profession  may  never  again 
neglect  or  fail  to  assert  its  prerogative  to  advise,  teach 
and  lead  the  people  in  all  measures  pertaining  to  the 
preservation  of  health  and  the  eradication  of  the  causes 
of  preventable  disease. 

I  recall  with  great  pleasure  the  success  of  my  efforts 
to  revise  the  regulations  of  the  Medical  Association  of 
this  District ;  the  abrogation  of  the  local  Code  of  Ethics, 
which  in  some  respects  was  oppressive  and  antagonistic 
to  the  Code  of  Ethics  of  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion ;  the  restoration  of  the  entente  cordiale  between  the 
local  practitioners  and  the  Medical  Staffs  of  the  Army 
and  Navy,  which  had  become  strained,  and  the  extension 
of  the  privileges  of  consultation  to  female  physicians  and 
physicians  of  African  descent.  The  extension  of  this 
privilege  to  the  classes  named  was  hotly  contested  by 
many  conspicuous  members  of  the  profession  at  that 
period.  In  this  controversy  I  followed  the  lead  of  my 
distinguished  friend,  Dr.  J.  Ford  Thompson,  to  whom  is 
due  the  credit  of  initiating  the  reform,  which,  after  a  pro- 
tracted controversy,  was  accomplished. 

I  have  referred  to  opportunities  wasted  and  thrown 
away,  in  that  I  failed  to  conceive  the  possibilities  of  a 
long  life  in  a  scientific  pursuit.  I  was  born  and  passed 
my  boyhood  life  on  a  farm  in  a  neighborhood  of  quiet 
and  frugal  people,  who  accepted  the  conditions  and  cur- 
rent events  of  life  without  discontent,  free  from  the 
struggles,  aspirations  and  activities  of  business  and 
intellectual  occupations.  School-life,  study,  and,  later, 
professional  duty,  filled  the  measure  of  my  coveted  ac- 
quirements. I  failed  to  see  the  roadway  open  to  all  who 
might  strive  to  attain  distinction  and  honor,  and  when, 
through  the  partiality  of  professional  friends,  honors  and 


opportunities  came  to  me,  I  threw  them  away  in  fretful 
discontent,  because  of  the  interruption  to  the  plodding 
routine  of  an  active  and  busy  life.  Not  until  I  had  passed 
middle  life  did  I  realize  the  possibility  of  some  accom- 
plishment in  the  line  of  scientific  work  that  might  entitle 
me  to  a  place  among  those  who  have  contributed  some- 
thing to  the  common  fund  of  useful  knowledge.  So  that 
whatever  reputation  I  may  have  acquired  and  may  leave 
behind  me  has  come  through  the  labors  of  the  later 
period  of  my  life,  and  I  am  here  to-night,  as  your  guest, 
to  accept  the  congratulations  of  those  of  my  colleagues 
who  have  assembled  to  commemorate  the  fiftieth  anni- 
versary of  my  professional  life. 

In  conclusion,  I  again  thank  you  for  this  graceful  com- 
pliment, and  assure  you  of  my  gratitude  for  the  many 
kind  words  spoken  to  me  to-night. 


46 


,**ts=S.  <y 


Responses  to  the  Invitation  of  the 
Toastmaster. 


_i2tG?'' 


REMARKS  BY  Z.  T.  SOWERS. 

Mr.  Toastmaster,  Our  Honored  Guest  and  Gen- 
tlemen :  You  know,  of  course,  that  this  call  for  a  speech 
is  a  great  surprise  to  me,  and  has  caught  me  without 
any  preparation  whatever.  I  am  greatly  pleased,  how- 
ever, to  be  called  upon,  as  I  desire  to  express  to  you  the 
pleasure  it  affords  me  to  be  with  you  on  this  interesting 
and  memorable  occasion.  To  celebrate  the  fiftieth  anni- 
versary of  one's  professional  life  rarely  comes  to  any- 
one. When  such  an  event  is  reached  in  the  life  of  one 
whom  we  all  love  and  honor  so  much  as  we  do  Dr. 
Busey,  it  becomes  truly  both  interesting  and  memorable. 
During  the  past  six  or  eight  years  it  has  been  my  very 
great  pleasure  to  be  quite  intimately  associated  with  Dr. 
Busey  in  a  variety  of  ways,  but  more  closely  associated 
in  the  work  of  the  Committee  on  Legislation,  of  which  I 
have  the  honor  to  be  a  member.  With  the  great  labor 
and  the  happy  results  reached  by  this  committee  you 
are  all  familiar.  The  Doctor  has  been  most  kind  and 
considerate  in  attributing  to  us  much  of  his  success ;  but, 
although  we  did  what  we  could,  the  credit  of  the  result 
should  be  awarded  to  him.  He  alluded  to  his  failing 
strength;  but  while  we  appreciate  that  he  may  not  be  as 
strong  as  formerly,  yet  we  who  have  been  more  closely 
associated  with  him  are  glad  to  know  and  relate  that  he 

D  49 


is  not  so  debilitated  as  his  remarks  would  lead  us  to 
infer.  For  the  comfort  of  those  present  I  wish  to  state 
that  I  have  had  an  opportunity  of  testing  his  condition 
to-night  when  I  met  him  in  the  reception-room.  He  told 
me  how  feeble  he  was  becoming ;  whereupon  I  thought 
I  would  test  his  strength  by  asking  something  of  the 
Poison  Bill  now  before  Congress.  If  you  could  have 
heard  his  reply,  how  he  analyzed  it  as  a  bill,  how  he 
related  the  different  stages  through  which  it  had  passed, 
and  the  line  of  argument  used  by  him  in  replying  to  the 
opposition  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Association  of  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  you  would,  I  am  sure,  agree  with  me 
in  thinking  that  he  is  far  from  feeble.  It  has  been  re- 
marked by  a  number  of  those  who  have  spoken  how 
much  the  Doctor  has  done  to  raise  the  Medical  Society 
to  its  present  exalted  standing  among  the  medical 
societies  of  this  country.  I  fully  appreciate  how  much 
he  has  done  in  this  direction,  and  how  much  we  are  in- 
debted to  him  for  his  great  efforts,  and  sincerely  believe 
that  it  will  be  greatly  to  the  advancement  of  the  Society 
if  we  can  induce  him  to  remain  its  President  so  long  as 
he  may  live. 


REMARKS  BY  DR.  JOS.  TABER  JOHNSON. 

Mr.  Toastmaster  and  Gentlemen  :  Being  a  member 
of  the  Committee  of  Arrangements  I  was  careful  to  leave 
my  name  off  the  list  of  speakers  in  to-night's  entertain- 
ment, and,  therefore,  think  the  toastmaster  has  exceeded 
his  duties  in  calling  upon  me  for  a  speech.    While  he  has 


exceeded  his  duties  in  one  respect  he  has  not  come  up 
to  the  requirements  of  the  occasion  in  others,  inasmuch 
as  he  has  called  upon  me,  an  unsuspecting  citizen,  to 
reply  to  a  toast  without  giving  him  any  toast  or  senti- 
ment to  reply  to.  It  is  fair  to  suppose,  however,  that 
those  who  have  called  upon  me  expect  that  the  general 
inspiration  of  the  occasion  will  furnish  the  theme  for 
remarks. 

Dr.  Busey's  abilities  and  reputation  have  been  fully 
discussed  in  nearly  all  the  directions  in  which  he  has 
been  useful,  except  in  the  special  field  in  which  I  have 
known  him  most  intimately.  While  I  have  not  been  a 
member  of  those  highly  important  committees  which  he 
has  led  to  victory  over  the  Potomac  and  Anacostia  Flats, 
through  the  impure  water  supply  and  insufficient  sewer- 
age of  the  city  ;  while  I  did  not  accompany  him  on  his 
campaign  against  the  quacks  and  impostors  and  in  secur- 
ing the  Medical  Practice  Act,  or  in  the  bombardment 
of  the  anti-vivisectionists  and  the  food  adulterers,  and 
various  other  campaigns  for  the  upholding  of  the  honor 
and  dignity  of  our  noble  profession  and  the  protection 
of  the  community — I  say  while  I  have  not  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committees  under  the  lead  of  Dr.  Busey  for 
the  accomplishment  of  these  beneficent  purposes — I 
have  been  associated  with  him  more  or  less  intimately 
for  the  past  twenty-five  years  in  the  obstetrical  and 
gynecological  branches  of  the  profession.  Dr.  Busey 
and  I  were  together  at  the  foundation  of  the  American 
Gynecological  Society  twenty-three  years  ago,  and  have 
been  side  by  side  in  many  of  the  discussions  and  social 
functions.  He  was  at  one  time  Vice-President  of  the 
Society,  and  would  have  been  President  of  it  to-day  had 
he  not  resigned   his  membership.     In    consideration  of 


his  distinguished  abilities  the  Society,  at  its  last  meeting 
in  Washington,  upon  my  nomination,  elected  him  an 
Honorary  Fellow.  I  was  present  with  Dr.  Busey  and 
others  at  the  foundation  of  the  Washington  Obstetrical 
and  Gynecological  Society.  He  was  its  first  President, 
was  re-elected  a  fourth  time,  and  has  had  much  to  do 
with  shaping  its  policy  into  a  successful  and  useful 
society.  His  known  ability  in  parliamentary  matters 
obtained  for  him  from  Dr.  Fordyce  Barker,  of  New 
York,  the  soubriquet  of  "  Busey,  the  parliamentarian,"  in 
the  American  Gynecological  Society.  I  have  often  won- 
dered what  Dr.  Busey  and  others  did  fifty  years  ago, 
when  he  entered  the  profession,  with  some  of  the  ques- 
tions the  successful  settlement  of  which  has  added  so 
much  to  the  renown  of  obstetrics,  gynecology  and  ab- 
dominal surgery.  He  practised  for  a  number  of  years 
without  those  means  which  we  have  at  the  present  day 
for  bringing  about  an  antiseptic  environment  in  mid- 
wifery and  gynecological  surgery.  It  could  hardly  have 
entered  his  dreams  fifty  years  ago  that  the  mortality  of 
childbed  would  have  been  reduced  to  one-sixth  of  one 
per  cent.,  and  that  of  ovariotomy  to  ten  per  cent,  and 
less  during  his  lifetime,  which  he  has  actually  observed  in 
the  practice  of  obstetricians  and  gynecologists  in  this  city. 
He  has  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  unnatural  and 
abhorrent  practice  of  craniotomy  upon  the  living  child, 
which  he  was  among  the  first  to  condemn,  gradually  but 
surely  give  way  in  the  onward  march  of  abdominal  sur- 
gery, until  Caesarean  section  has  come  now  to  be  the 
operation  of  election. 

Dr.  Busey  was  among  the  first  to  recognize  sepsis  as 
the  chief  cause  of  puerperal  septicaemia,  or  puerperal 
fever,  as  it  was  then  called ;  and  in  a  public  address,  when 


Chairman  of  the  Obstetric  Section  of  the  American 
Medical  Association,  called  attention  to  the  great  bene- 
fits sure  to  follow  from  the  more  thorough  practice  of 
antiseptic  midwifery.  I  remember  hearing  him  read 
before  the  American  Gynecological  Society,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1879,  a  most  elaborate  paper  on  the  "  Pathology 
of  the  Cicatrices  of  Pregnancy."  He  was  also  among 
the  first  to  discuss  on  the  affirmative  side  the  unity  of 
membranous  croup  and  diphtheria. 

I  have  known  many  instances  of  the  most  absolute 
confidence  of  Dr.  Busey's  patients  in  his  advice.  He 
has  also  enjoyed  to  a  remarkable  degree  the  confidence 
of  his  professional  brethren,  who  have  often  sought  his 
counsel.  I  am  very  glad  to  be  here  to-night  and  to  join 
with  the  numerous  friends  and  admirers  of  Dr.  Busey  in 
congratulating  him  upon  his  already  long  life  of  useful- 
ness and  many  well-earned  honors,  and  to  wish  for  him 
good  health  and  happiness  for  many  years  to  come. 


REMARKS  BY  DR.  W.  W.  JOHNSTON. 

Mr.  Toastmaster  and  Gentlemen  :  There  is  one 
phase  of  Dr.  Busey's  public  work  that  has  not  been 
alluded  to  this  evening,  and  it  is  one  which  is  well  de- 
serving of  record.  I  mean  the  part  he  has  played  in 
connection  with  the  various  hospitals  of  the  District. 
Looking  back  over  many  years  I  can  now  see  more 
clearly  than  ever  that  Dr.  Busey's  efforts  were  always 
directed  to  increasing  the  influence  of  the  medical  man 
in  hospital  management. 


There  have  been  many  contests  in  the  history  of  hos- 
pital work  in  this  city,  but  in  all  of  them  Dr.  Busey  stood 
fairly  and  openly  for  the  rights  and  dignity  of  the  medi- 
cal profession  in  hospital  control. 

It  is  necessary  and  unavoidable  that  hospital  boards 
should  be  largely  composed  of  non-medical  men,  but  it 
is  not  right,  in  the  discussion  and  decision  of  matters 
requiring  expert  knowledge,  that  physicians  should  have 
little  or  no  part ;  matters  of  administrative  detail  that 
deal  with  the  medical  work  of  the  hospital  can  only  be 
properly  understood  by  physicians,  and  it  is  they  who 
should  decide  all  questions  that  concern  the  care  of  the 
patients,  their  medical  and  surgical  treatment,  the  divi- 
sion of  labor  in  the  wards,  and  every  matter  that  is  of  a 
purely  technical  nature.  In  mixed  boards,  where  the 
medical  staff  is  represented,  the  opportunity  is  given  for 
the  presentation  of  the  medical  aspect  of  medical  ques- 
tions, and  the  board  can  decide  with  knowledge  ;  but  in 
boards  composed  exclusively  of  laymen  no  such  oppor- 
tunity is  afforded,  and  only  confusion  and  mismanage- 
ment result,  to  the  great  detriment  of  the  hospital.  It 
is  natural  that  there  should  be  differences  of  opinion,  but 
in  the  free  discussion  of  such  differences,  where  every 
side  can  be  heard,  the  true  and  best  course  is  apt  to  be 
followed. 

It  is  in  furtherance  of  the  best  interests  of  hospitals 
that  Dr.  Busey  has  a  clear  record,  and  he  deserves  the 
thanks  of  the  medical  profession  for  his  unswerving 
efforts  to  secure  a  just  and  fair  measure  of  control  for 
the  physician,  and  for  his  opposition  to  all  faulty  methods 
of  management. 

But  much  remains  to  be  done.  It  is  for  the  men  of  the 
present  and  future  to  agitate  this  question  until  justice 


is  secured,  until  the  man  who  is  most  clearly  interested 
in  the  beneficent  work  of  the  hospital  has  a  just  recogni- 
tion of  the  dignity  and  importance  of  his  position. 


REMARKS  BY  ASSISTANT  SURGEON-GENERAL 
C.  H.  ALDEN,  U.  S.  ARMY. 

Mr.  Chairman  :  I  had  no  idea  you  would  call  on  me 
to-night,  and  I  am  therefore  quite  unprepared  to  speak 
fittingly  on  this  occasion.  One  word  I  would  like  to  say, 
however,  in  regard  to  our  distinguished  guest,  in  which  I 
am  sure  I  voice  the  sentiments  of  my  colleagues  of  the 
medical  service — a  word  of  sincere  appreciation  for  the 
part  he  has  taken  in  making  the  members  of  these  ser- 
vices in  the  city  feel  at  home  among  you,  and  in  bring- 
ing together  the  civil,  military  and  naval  members  of  the 
profession. 

Dr.  Busey  has  told  us  in  his  interesting  memoirs  (if 
I  remember  rightly)  that  military  and  naval  surgeons 
were  among  the  founders,  or  at  least  the  early  members, 
of  the  District  Medical  Society.  Gradually,  in  the 
course  of  time,  there  grew  up,  I  will  not  say  a  less  cor- 
dial feeling,  for  the  relation  between  the  civil  and  mili- 
tary physician  has  always  been  friendly,  but  I  may  say  a 
less  intimate  professional  association.  But  I  am  inclined 
to  think  the  fault,  as  well  as  the  loss,  has  been  chiefly  on 
the  part  of  the  members  of  the  two  services.  To  Dr. 
Busey  is  largely  due  a  change  in  this  respect.  The  mili- 
tary and  naval  surgeons  have  been  made  members  by 
invitation  of  the  District  Medical  Society,  encouraged  to 


read  papers  and  join  in  discussions,  a  privilege  which  I 
assure  you  has  been  most  heartily  appreciated.  Social 
intercourse  is,  I  think,  freer  than  it  used  to  be. 

Dr.  Busey,  helpful  in  every  measure  that  promises  to 
advance  his  beloved  profession,  has  taken  a  kindly  in- 
terest in  the  Army  Medical  School,  and  honored  us  by 
delivering  the  address  to  the  class  a  year  ago. 

I  join  most  heartily  in  wishing  Dr.  Busey  long-contin- 
ued health  and  happiness. 


REMARKS  BY  DR.  A.  A.  HOEHLING,  U.  S.  NAVY. 

Gentlemen:  As  a  representative  of  the  Navy  Med- 
ical Corps,  I  indorse  most  heartily  the  sentiments 
expressed  by  Dr.  Alden,  and  I  thank  you  for  the  oppor- 
tunity of  saying  that  I  am  proud  to  be  an  alumnus  of  the 
same  medical  school  which  graduated  Professor  Samuel 
C.  Busey  half  a  century  ago  ;  and  I  wish  to  state  that, 
while  the  venerable  University  of  Pennsylvania  reflects 
honor  upon  her  graduates,  Dr.  Busey  confers  honor 
upon  her. 


REMARKS  BY  DR.  SAMUEL  ADAMS. 

Mr.  Toastmaster  :  I  had  congratulated  myself  that 
this  would  be  one  meeting  of  the  Medical  Society  when 
the  Secretary  could  keep  still ;  but,  as  you  have  called 
on  me,  I  cannot  refrain  from  saying  a  few  words  in  praise 
of  our  guest. 

56 


Dr.  Busey  was  my  preceptor,  and  I  had  ample  oppor- 
tunity for  learning  how  to  work.  Soon  after  my  gradua- 
tion at  the  West  Virginia  University,  in  1875,  I  entered 
Dr.  Busey's  office  as  a  student.  During  my  college  life 
it  seemed  as  if  I  had  learned  to  study;  but  this  belief  was 
soon  dispelled  when  I  was  brought  face  to  face  with  my 
preceptor's  untiring  energies  and  methodical  ways. 
Whatever  capacity  I  now  possess  for  hard  work  I  attrib- 
ute to  the  schooling  received  under  Dr.  Busey's  guid- 
ance. That  Dr.  Busey  has  been  an  earnest  worker,  and 
that  his  labors  have  always  tended  toward  the  elevation 
of  our  profession,  need  no  emphasis  from  me.  I  trust 
that  his  just  and  guiding  hand  will  not  soon  cease  to 
direct  the  younger  men  of  the  profession  in  that  road 
which  leads  to  success. 


REMARKS  BY  DR.  ROBERT  REYBURN. 

Mr.  Toastmaster  :  I  am  heartily  glad  to  have  been 
called  on  to  say  something  on  this  occasion,  for  I  say  it 
from  an  entirely  different  stand-point  from  any  of  the 
speakers  who  have  preceded  me.  Most  of  those  who 
have  spoken  have  been  either  pupils  of  Dr.  Busey  or 
at  least  intimately  connected  with  him  during  the  early 
years  of  their  professional  lives. 

It  was  not  so  with  me;  in  fact,  our  first  acquaintance 
was  made  when  we  were  direct  antagonists.  The  Doctor 
and  I  differed  very  widely  on  political  and  other  questions 
from  1872  to  1880 ;  in  fact,  we  do  not  agree  on  all  things 
now.     But  this  world  would  be  a  very  stupid  place  if 


everybody  agreed  in  everything  with  everybody  else ;  and 
whatever  antagonism  we  once  mutually  felt  has  long  been 
converted  into  sincere  and  warm  friendship.  On  this 
happy  occasion  there  is  but  one  point  I  wish  especially 
to  dwell  upon,  and  that  is  the  efforts  and  labors  of  Dr. 
Busey  in  the  direction  of  the  elevation  of  the  medical 
profession  of  the  District  of  Columbia. 

There  can  be  no  questioning  the  statement  that  Dr. 
Busey  has  done  far  more  toward  this  than  any  other 
member  of  the  medical  profession  in  the  District.  These 
labors  will  always  remain  as  his  monument,  and  that  he 
may  remain  with  us  many  years  to  see  the  good  results 
of  his  work  is  my  sincere  desire  and  prayer. 


REMARKS  BY  DR.  C.  H.  A.  KLEINSCHMIDT. 

Mr.  Chairman  :  The  eloquent  and  pre-eminently  truth- 
ful remarks  to  which  we  have  listened  with  so  much 
pleasure  and  the  heartiest  approval  are  the  sentiments 
that  are  harbored  in  the  breast  of  every  member  of  our 
local  society  now  gathered  around  the  festive  board  in 
honor  of  our  distinguished  and  beloved  guest.  But  they 
are  also  shared  by  hosts  of  eminent  professional  col- 
leagues in  our  country  and  abroad.  Far  be  it  from  me 
to  try  the  impossible,  to  add  one  iota  to  the  expressions 
of  high  appreciation  and  devotion  made  to-night.  But  I 
would  ask  leave  to  recall  a  scene  of  long  ago,  so  long 
that  I  do  not  care  to  confess  to  the  number  of  years  since 
passed.  My  first  acquaintance  by  sight  with  Dr.  Busey 
happened  during  my  student  days,  in  front  of  the  office 

58 


of  my  preceptor,  the  late  Dr.  John  M.  Snyder,  who  was 
out  on  the  pavement  ready  to  make  his  daily  rounds. 
Somehow,  during  the  conversation  between  the  two  gen- 
tlemen, I  was  strongly  attracted  by  the  stranger,  and 
began  to  form  certain  conclusions.  The  brief  conver- 
sation ended,  and  after  the  parting  Dr.  Snyder  turned 
to  me,  and  perhaps  noting  the  questioning  eyes,  said : 
"That  is  Dr.  Busey.  What  a  great  pity  that  a  man 
of  such  prominent  parts  and  professional  ability  should 
have  retired  from  a  successful  and  active  career  to  the 
quiet  life  of  a  country  gentleman."1 

These  remarks  impressed  me  greatly,  because  spoken 
with  earnestness  and  conviction  ;  and  somehow  or  other 
the  thought  of  Dr.  Busey  and  his  voluntary  retirement 
and  relinquishment  of  professional  success  would  again 
and  again  rise  in  my  mind. 

There  is,  however,  one  point,  not  broached  upon  by 
any  of  the  speakers  to-night,  which,  to  my  thinking, 
affords  the  best  proof,  if  indeed  proof  were  wanting,  of 
the  indomitable  energy  always  displayed  in  any  scientific 
or  other  work,  and,  of  course,  carried  to  a  definite  and 
successful  end.  I  refer  to  the  extensive  and  critical  in- 
vestigation into  the  lymphatic  system,  from  the  physio- 
logical and  pathological  stand-point,  undertaken  by  him 
a  number  of  years  ago,  resulting  in  two  monographs, 
embodying  a  collection,  classification,  description,  and 
grouping  of  striking  diseases  and  anomalies  of  the  lym- 
phatic system,  a  subject  which  at  that  time  was  receiv- 

1  Dr.  Kleinschlnidt's  reference  to  the  interview  between  Drs.  Busey  and  Snyder  may  be 
misleading  in  the  suggestion  that  Dr.  Busey  had  retired  from  the  practice  of  medicine. 
It  is  true  he  had  changed  his  residence  from  the  city  to  one  in  the  suburbs  north  of 
Georgetown,  on  the  Woodly  Lane  Road,  known  as  Belvoir,  but  he  was  actively  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  medicine  in  the  neighborhood  and  contiguous  country,  which  became 
so  onerous  that  he  was  induced  to  return  to  the  city,  where  the  exactions  of  a  busy  pro- 
fessional life  were  less  so.— G.  M.  K. 

59 


ing  rather  scant  attention  by  the  general  practitioner. 
This  extensive  inquiry,  of  the  most  searching  character, 
originated  in  his  observation  of  a  congenital  case  of  a 
rare  form  of  lymphatic  disease,  which  was  followed  closely 
during  life  and  cleared  up  and  verified  by  necropsy. 

Dr.  Busey  then  conceived  the  idea  of  collecting  from 
the  medical  literature  of  all  countries  cases  of  lymphatic 
diseases  having  a  similar  bearing  to  the  one  observed  by 
himself.  The  task,  deemed  at  first  comparatively  easy, 
soon  became  almost  Herculean,  in  view  of  the  class  of 
literature  found  necessary  to  be  sifted,  and  might  have 
appalled  many  an  ardent  investigator.  Not  so  with  our 
friend.  As  the  task  grew  and  difficulties  doubled  and 
trebled,  energy  and  zeal  increased  in  direct  ratio,  until 
final  success  was  gained  in  the  production  of  the  two 
works  mentioned,  embodying  practically  all  recorded 
cases,  but  also  teeming  in  important  critical  deductions 
and  suggestions  by  their  author. 

The  work  of  Dr.  Busey  is  of  special  personal  interest 
to  me,  because  his  kindness  placed  me  in  a  position  in 
which  a  better  insight  to  his  indomitable  energy  in  scien- 
tific pursuit  was  afforded  than  would  otherwise  have  been 
possible. 

While  in  course  of  time  the  admirable  characteristics 
of  our  honored  guest  unfolded  themselves  to  me  more 
and  more,  our  acquaintance  grew  into  friendship.  There 
is  one  episode  which  deserves  the  undying  gratitude  of 
our  profession.  As  a  witness — perhaps  the  only  one  here 
to-night — of  this  striking  incident,  it  seems  eminently 
proper  that  it  should  be  referred  to  on  this  occasion, 
especially  as  it  seems  to  have  been  forgotten  by  many. 

In  the  years  of  local  confusion  and  strife  succeeding 
the  late  war  between  the  States  our  Medical  Society 

60 


became  involved  in  a  very  serious  feud  with  the  then  all- 
powerful  Board  of  Health,  resulting  in  a  schism  which 
endangered  its  existence,  because  of  the  determined 
attempts  on  the  part  of  our  enemies  to  induce  Congress 
to  repeal  our  charter.  Defeated  in  this  through  the 
defence  offered  by  Dr.  Busey,  as  a  member  of  our  Com- 
mittee, they  still,  nothing  daunted,  continued  the  heated 
controversy,  and  carried  the  contention  to  the  American 
Medical  Association,  as  the  court  of  last  resort,  at  its 
meeting  in  Washington  in  1870.  Charges,  that  would 
have  been  serious  if  well  founded,  were  preferred  against 
the  Society,  and  a  most  determined  effort  made,  and  all 
means  in  their  power  were  employed,  to  have  our  dele- 
gation excluded  from  membership  in  the  Association. 

Although  prevented  by  service  on  one  of  the  local  com- 
mittees from  witnessing  the  struggle  in  the  session  of  the 
Association,  and  therefore  only  an  anxious  and  deeply 
concerned  outsider,  I  yet  did  not  fail  to  be  informed  by 
eye-witnesses  of  the  prominent  and  leading  part  taken  by 
Dr.  Busey  in  that  action,  which  again  led  to  the  defeat  of 
the  opposition  ;  but  in  the  light  of  subsequent  events  this 
was  rather  a  preliminary  skirmish  to  the  final  battle,  for 
the  attack  was  renewed  in  Philadelphia,  where  it  remained 
for  the  meeting  in  1872  to  cause  the  final  overthrow  of 
the  factional  opposition  by  refusing  to  admit  to  mem- 
bership those  who  had  proved  enemies  of  our  Society 
and  attempted  to  destroy  it  by  a  repeal  of  its  charter. 

They  came  to  Philadelphia  apparently  sure  of  success, 
and,  if  appearances  did  not  deceive,  it  seemed  to  our  dele- 
gates that  the  case  would  be  decided  by  a  body  by  no 
means  favorably  inclined  txnvard  us.  Said  one  of  my  col- 
leagues, the  late  Dr.  Boyle,  judging  from  what  he  had 
heard  in  conversation  of  and  with  members  of  the  Asso- 


ciation,  "I  am  afraid  they  will  beat  us  ;"  and  in  very  truth, 
as  the  case  was  presented  and  discussion  went  on,  his 
words  seemed  to  be  verified,  for  the  temper  of  the  meet- 
ing seemed  to  favor  the  opposition.  But  things  were 
changed,  and  how  completely  was  indifference  or  worse 
transformed  !  Can  those  who  composed  our  small  and 
anxious  delegation  at  that  decisive  meeting  ever  forget 
the  moment  when  our  then  Chairman,  our  guest  of  honor 
to-night,  ascended  the  platform  to  address  the  vast  audi- 
ence. A  hush  fell  on  the  house.  Then  he  began  quietly, 
calmly,  and  with  a  mien  that  spoke  of  a  righteous  cause. 
His  speech  was  clear,  incisive,  and  logical,  and  at  every 
point  presented  our  case  with  a  force  as  convincing  as 
truth  alone  can  proclaim,  and  fairly  demolished  and  an- 
nihilated the  accusations  laid  against  the  Society,  and 
any  and  all  so-called  facts  brought  forward  to  sustain 
them.  How  can  the  witnesses  of  that  scene,  which  raised 
our  spirits  from  despondency  to  hope,  ever  forget  the 
storm  of  applause  when  our  leader  closed  his  speech 
and  the  overwhelming  vote  by  which  the  delegates  of 
the  opposition  were  refused  admission,  nor  the  feeling 
of  relief  and  enthusiasm  which  hailed  a  victory  verily 
snatched  from  the  very  jaws  of  defeat  by  the  matchless 
argument  of  Dr.  Busey  ? 

In  harmony  with  his  undaunted  spirit,  which  urged  him 
to  defend  single-handed  an  almost  forlorn  cause  and  de- 
feat its  enemies  in  a  fair,  square,  and  successful  struggle, 
is  the  magnanimity  which  he  extended  to  them  later, 
when,  convinced  of  their  errors,  they  applied  for  re- 
admission  to  fellowship.  Forgiving  the  past,  he  was  the 
first  to  smoothe  the  way  to  their  rehabilitation.  These 
two  striking  incidents  have  been  to  me"  always  the  bright 
particular  spots  to  which  my  mind  turned  when  review- 

62 


ing  any  personal  reminiscences  of  Dr.  Busey,  for  they 
illustrate  most  positively  the  brave,  noble  and  generous 
qualities  of  his  character. 

Closing,  I  can  only  express  the  sincere  wish,  re-echoed, 
doubtless,  by  us  all,  that  he  may  still  be  with  us  for 
many  a  year  to  come,  an  honor  and  ornament  of  our 
noble  profession,  a  useful,  ever  alert,  public-spirited 
citizen. 


63 


